Man jailed for spying on woman in Tobie Norris toilets in Stamford

By Dave Gooderham

Published: 17:00, 15 September 2015

The Tobie Norris, Stamford.

A pervert who spied on a woman in the toilets of a Stamford pub has been jailed for eight months.

Alan Russell, 36, who was already banned from entering women’s toilets following a previous conviction for voyeurism, was found inside the ladies’ at the Tobie Norris pub in St Paul’s Street on July 8 this year.

Andrew Vout, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court today (September 15) that Russell peered over the top of a cubicle but was spotted by the woman inside. She screamed and ran out into the main area of the pub.

Mr Vout said “The defendant ran away. When staff checked the CCTV system he was seen to have gone in and out of the toilets on a number of occasions.”

“A week later the defendant returned to the pub and was loitering outside the female lavatory again. Staff recognised him as the man from the week before. They apprehended him and called the police.”

Russell, of Regents Court, Peterborough, later told police “My head’s in a mess”. He said he went to the pub with the intention of breaching his previous court order which banned him from entering women’s toilets.

Russell admitted voyeurism for the incident on July 8. He also admitted two charges of breaching a sexual offences prevention order as a result of the incidents on 8 and 15 July. He was jailed for eight months and given an indefinite sexual offences prevention order. Russell was also ordered to pay a £180 criminal courts charge.

Judge John Pini QC, passing sentence, said: “There has to be an immediate custodial sentence. These were two quite deliberate breaches of a court order.”

Michael Cranmer-Brown, defending, said “At that time he seems to have been under a lot of stress. This seemed to be a way in which, bizarrely, he was able to relieve himself of stress by behaving in this peculiar fashion.” “He says he wanted to get caught. He doesn’t understand why he behaves in this way.”